Ssangyong Actyon Sports_rewrites the rule book!

The pickup craze in Malaysia is still a growth segment and one of the biggest reasons for its popularity is its selling price, which has not breached the RM100K price for all models and types. The reason for this is its lower import duties as pickup trucks are still classified as work/utility vehicles in Malaysia. Using this classification to their advantage many pickup truck manufacturers have dressed up their products inside and outside to cater to the urban owner looking for a lower priced vehicle with the possible need to forge a city flood (since local government fail to address this problem) or even visit a relative who owns a fruit farm. Until now all these pickup trucks lacked a few important elements to take in more sales from urban dwellers (who can’t give up the comfort of a car). First is an interior comfort level of a car. Second is rear leg and shoulder room for 3 adults. Third is ride comfort like a car. Fourth is car like interior features. Fifth is the all important cabin noise insulation from the hard working diesel engine and finally sixth is the cost of running the diesel powered pickup truck (which only becomes cheap when a lot of mileage is consumed). The current crop of trucks are all 2.5-liter diesel and above. This means that their road tax values even with green engines are high. They also consume more diesel when moving about in the city and city start stop traffic reduces its ability to save on fuel. There were also issues for the fairer sex when it came to getting in and out of a truck, which were also mostly sitting high of the ground. Short skirts and heels meant difficulty getting in without the cost of modesty.

Now all the above six, no seven problems have been solved with the introduction of this latest product from 4x4 specialists Ssangyong. They have taken the SUV interior of the Kyron (removing of the rear luggage area and adding a pickup bed) and its class leading 2-liter diesel engine and gearbox and planted it on top of the chassis of the popular Rexton II. This creates a whole new segment for the Actyon, which becomes a Sports SUV truck. For the first time in Malaysia we have a pickup truck that costs less to run as it uses a 2-liter green turbo diesel engine with a luxury SUV class interior and chassis (The Actyon challenges the segment with 2nd most powerful diesel engine but with the lowest capacity which relates to the lowest road tax cost at just RM439.20 for private against the segment average of RM900.00 for company registration). Not forgetting is its pickup bed at the rear that will carry a 898kg load and with the optional stylish bed cover you get a great family vehicle at a hard to ignore selling price. All this may sound to good to be true but read on to better understand the philosophy of this new Sports Utility Truck.

Well dressed

The Actyon's looks are sufficiently rugged-looking, with aerodynamic efficiency that manage the neat trick of being butch and sporty at the same time. The sport coupe like shoulders over the front wheel arches coupled with intriguing shark like headlamps leave the driver in doubt as to where the front of the car ends. Inside the luxurious 5-seater cabin has a generous amount of space and a complementary selection of dark trim colours. Being a prestige vehicle, the overall finish and level of features are also very impressive. The other impressive feature of the Actyon's interior is the SUV like dashboard which leaves passengers unaware of its pickup traits. There is also an impressive sound system that's wired to a multitude of speakers. The overall sound quality from this combo is very good and presents a car like ambience.
The Actyon driver is fronted by a SUV like dashboard, a leather-bound airbag steering wheel (with buttons to control the audio system). The steering column is adjusted with one easy action and the driver's seat is also electrically operated. Storage wise, the vehicle comes with large door pockets, cup holders suit most cup diameters and a center console pocket.




Highway Drive


The Actyon is a SUV with "truck" like capabilities. Its compromises in urban conditions are kept minimal thanks to its ‘shift on the fly’ part time 4 wheel drive, easy entry and exit with SUV height and extremely high levels of practicality and refinement. It is also built with an ultra rigid steel frame structure, which means its ride and handling is much more akin to a conventional road car than many like minded looking 4WD pickups.



Under the skin is a SUV style double wishbone suspension for the front and in the rear axle a 5-link system. The 1934kg Actyon turns into corners very well considering its tall 75-series tyres, and it never feels lethargic when it's being hustled along in city traffic. Its straight-line cruising stability is also exceptional as we managed an easy 140km/h on the highway with negligible wind and tire roar. The fingertip feel through the power assisted rack and pinion steering is beautifully smooth and well damped, and powerful four wheel disc brakes (with standard ABS with EBD) returned a braking performance of a luxury SUV. Another surprise is the automatic 4-speed gearbox (with manual override). It's exceedingly smooth, with not a hint of the hypersensitive kick-down prevalent in some other pickup trucks. Although the engine only has a 2-liter turbo diesel (141hp @ 4,000rpm with a high torque of 310Nm from 1,800rpm), it's powerful enough to haul the fully loaded Actyon up the steepest slopes and whip along PLUS highway above the national speed limit. We actually managed a speed of 180km/h on the straight with 3 full sized adults and luggage.

Off Road Track Drive

We were given a short but challenging off road route to tackle and using the stock showroom cars that we drove up in; we tackled the course with little or no issues. Not a single motoring hack in our test drive group walked away with a negative comment and some were die-hard 4x4 enthusiasts. Apart from the expected jolts and bumps over some rougher sections, the Actyon stood up to the route's challenges rather well. The impressive torque from the smallish diesel engine managed to ride up steep rocky inclines with little effort on the accelerator pedal and the steep hill docents were easily tackled with the ABS and EBD working in tandem. There was little need for ‘hill decent control’ which some more expensive SUV’s employ.

Actyon Conclusion

Ssangyong have a winner on their hands, and one that will help their sales figures in the next few years for sure. With a number of rear deck cover variants set to be introduced and a base stripped out manual version arriving in the final quarter of this year it is clear that the Ssangyong Actyon will be a clear sales winner for families, ladies and also contractors.